Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Really Stupid Stuff

This post inaugurates what I hope will become a regular feature here at FCB. Even though there is a lot of stupid stuff out there, some things and people are just really stupider than others. From time to time, I will let you know what I think warrants what I am sure will become a coveted distinction (or not). Feel free to use the comments to offer a different view, or to let me know what you think is really stupid too, even if it is this idea.

Here's is some Really Stupid Stuff:
  • The Winter X Games -- Students at colleges in cold-weather locations have been getting drunk and doing these sort of things for years. Now, apparently, allowing gravity to do what it does best is a sport, with the full ESPN treatment. Really stupid.
  • Fantasy Camps -- I nominate this one in honor of new Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who attended a Phillies fantasy camp a few years back. I would have voted against his confirmation just for that. I just don't get it. Say you're an accountant who can't play baseball. Why do you give a major league team and some of its former players several thousand dollars for the chance to spend a week acting like an accountant who can't play baseball? Sorry, Justice Alito and other fantasy camp fans, but that is really stupid.
  • Anna Benson -- Now she wants to be a big-time poker player. I say go for it, Anna. Being a two-sport embarrassment is a rare feat indeed. Really, really stupid (and not nearly as good looking as she thinks).

Interesting Strategy

In his opening argument, Skilling lawyer Daniel Petrocelli has promised the jury that Skilling will testify. In most criminal cases, the defense will not make any definitive statements about whether the defendant will testify -- assuming it is even a realistic option for the defendant to do so, which it usually is not (e.g., O.J. Simpson). You normally want to see how the prosecution's case goes before making that decision. Lay's lawyer likely will take the same tack. I am sure they think they have little choice. The bottom line is that, regardless of the evidence the government puts on, if the jury believes Skilling and Lay, they walk.

Monday, January 30, 2006

The Big E

Those of us of a certain age know that references to Houston and The Big E used to mean someone was talking about Elvin Hayes. More recent references, however, to Houston and a big, or at least a tilted, E involve Enron, whose top two executives went on trial today.

Jury selection is happening now, and opening statements from prosecutors and lawyers for Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling are expected to begin tomorrow. Being a law nerd, I love reading about trials, so I hope to have something to say about this one as it progresses. Not surprisingly, the Houston Chronicle is all over the story. Don't overlook its two blogs on the trial, one a running account of what is happening in the courtroom and the other a daily commentary from Houston-area criminal attorneys.

This is a non-betting site, but any and all predictions encouraged.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Sign O' The Times

Remember a couple of weeks ago when Doug Flutie successfully converted a drop-kick extra point? Here, courtesy of Deadspin.com and the Boston Globe, is what has happened since. Hooray for the Patriots.

Eye of the Beholder

Hall of Fame votes are usually, if not always, subjective. Perhaps that explains why no one -- not Hank Aaron, not Willie Mays, not Ted Williams, to cite just three examples -- has ever been a unanimous pick. Subjectivity I can understand. Randomness is something else.

Maybe part of the problem is that elections are handled exclusively by the Baseball Writers Association of American (BBWAA). According to the BBWAA, "only active and honorary members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, who have been active baseball writers for at least ten (10) years, shall be eligible to vote." To mention just two obvious problems with this, broadcasters and other members of the non-print media cannot vote (you think, for example, Vin Scully knows a thing or two about who might be a Hall of Famer?), and there appears to be no requirement that those voting, after meeting the 10-year requirement, need do anything more than pay their annual BBWAA dues.

Take the most recent election, in which 520 people cast votes. Election requires being named on 75 percent of the ballots (this year, 390). Bruce Sutter was the only player to reach the 75 percent level, getting named on 400 ballots or 76.9 percent. I have already made clear (see post of January 16) my view that Sutter should not be in the HOF and that he was not even the best relief pitcher on the ballot (that would be Rich Gossage). But back to my point on randomness.

Sutter was elected this year even though he had been rejected for the HOF the 12 preceding years (you stay on the ballot for 15 years). And with the exception of last year's vote, when Sutter received 66.7 percent of the vote, it was never even close. Sutter first appeared on the 1994 ballot. Here are the percentage of votes he received from 1994 to 2004, rounded to the nearest whole number: 24, 30, 29, 27, 31, 24, 38, 48, 50, 54, and 60.

For six years in a row, fewer than one-third of voters thought Sutter belonged in the HOF. As recently as the 2002 election, only half the voters gave him the nod. Yet, somehow, 400 baseball writers -- most of whom I would bet also voted in 2002 -- voted for Sutter this year. That simply makes no sense.

Here is another interesting example (and, to be clear, I am not the first person to make this comparison). Here are the career statistics for two famous players of the 1980s and 1990s. One was elected to the HOF in his first year of eligibility with 82 percent of the vote. The other has been on the ballot six times, receiving a high of 28 percent of the vote, a low of 11 percent, and an average of 16 percent.

Games: 1785 ------- 1783
Runs: 1007 ---------1071
Hits: 2153 ---------- 2304
Doubles: 442 --------- 414
HRs: 222 ----------- 207
RBI: 1099 ---------- 1085
Avg: .307 (one batting title; 7 .300 + seasons) --------- .318 (one batting title; 8 .300+ seasons)
OBP: .358 ---------- .360
Fielding %: .996 ----- .989

The statistics on the left belong to Don Mattingly, who will need some Sutteresque magic to get to Cooperstown. The statistics on the right belong to Kirby Puckett, elected in the HOF in 2001.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

How Do They Say It in French?

Now John Kerry wants to be a tough guy?

Kerry, who in 2004 was so spectacularly inept in responding to sleazy attacks against him that "swift boat" is now commonly used as a verb, wants to lead a filibuster against the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. According to Kerry (see story here), senators need to fight for "those people who count on us to stand up and protect them."

Kerry felt so strongly about this that he made his call for a filibuster from Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum with Bill Gates, Bono, and a bunch of other people who, like Kerry, do not need anyone to stand up and protect them because they are all so freaking rich.

Of course, Kerry is hardly going to state the obvious: He blew his chance to keep Samuel Alito off the Supreme Court when he managed to lose the 2004 election. Then, as now, he simply doesn't have the votes.

Humuhumunukunukuapuaa

I have nothing to say about this. I just wanted to run the word through my spell-checker to see if smoke would start coming out of my computer.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

But I Had the Immunity Necklace!

Maybe Richard Hatch should have used the Steve Martin defense.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Good for Him

How Appealing provides a link to this article in the St. Petersburg Times with the news that Michael Schiavo apparently will soon marry his long-time companion. I wish them a long, happy, and healthy life together.

And It's Only January

When the going gets tough, the Republicans try to scare the hell of you. Here's what Lone Star Rasputin Karl Rove had to say yesterday. Translation: If you vote Democratic, you'll die. Then you'll pay a lot of estate tax.

Blogosphere

Philadelphia Inquirer blogmeister Daniel Rubin has an article today about a new blog by Liz Spikol, the managing editor at Philadelphia Weekly. Rubin notes that Spikol's blog "draws its potency from the fact that it is devoted to mental illness. Hers mainly." It's interesting stuff. Check it out.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Mr. Dithers

It remains a mystery to me how Alex Rodriguez can bat or field so well while always having one finger up in the wind.

A-Rod announced today that (drum roll, please) he will play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic and that he will play for (really loud drum roll, please) the United States team. You know, the country where he was born, where he lives, and where there are great people like the dopey and (given this deal) inexplicably rich owner of the Texas Rangers, who gave A-Rod a contract worth $25 million a year.

Enough already. Can you imagine going to a Ben and Jerry's with this guy?

Put Your Lips Together, and Blow

Is this woman French, or what?

Swing Low, Sweet Hillary

It was Toni Morrison who once famously called Bill Clinton "the first Black President." She was referring primarily to his background and upbringing as the son of a single mother in rural Arkansas, but the former President has a remarkable ability -- almost certainly unique among white politicians -- to connect with African-American audiences.

Maybe such a connection was what Sen. Clinton was going for when she spoke before a mostly African-American audience on Martin Luther King Day Monday. And, who knows, maybe she even got it. But her remark that the House of Representatives "has been run like a plantation, and you know what I am talking about" -- although being defended by Democrats -- really is shameful.

It is not just that such a comment made before such an audience is so obviously couched in unnecessarily racial overtones. Rather it is that the statement is just so ridiculous. The House is run like plantation? You mean like the ones where so many of the ancestors of her audience members used to work? I guess that, except for the votes, the majority rule, the gym, the free parking and, oh yeah, the pay, maybe there is a resemblance.

Hillary should leave the metaphors to Toni Morrison.

Monday, January 16, 2006

That Was The Week That Was

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!!

A week spent working in southern California and then catching up at home means I haven't had the chance to comment, opine, bluster, and generally add to the vox bloguli about a wide range of events. So, since I know that you were wondering:


  • The Alito hearings: It is not about the speeches, it is not about the crying (just what was that all about?), it is not about the all-too-few questions, and it certainly is not about the answers. It is all about 55, as in the number of Republican senators. When you have 55 on your side, everyone knows the drill: The nominee genuflects in the direction of Brown v. Board of Education and Griswold v. Connecticut; throws in a hosanna or two about stare decisis (a Latin term meaning "I am unlikely to reverse any prior case except for Roe v. Wade"); and avoids other common pitfalls, such as remembering membership in a group that opposed (at the least) women attending Ivy League schools. When you have 55 on your side, you can even afford to lose a couple, although I don't think that is likely to happen. The bottom line is simply this: You don't like Judge Alito? Change the number 55. Ralph Neas, Nan Arons, Kate Michelman, and their ilk are shouting against the rain. When George Bush is President and 55 Republicans sit in the Senate, Samuel Alito and John Roberts end up on the Supreme Court. And if that bothers you, it is time you stopped complaining and started working on the next Senatorial and Presidential election in your state.
  • The Alito hearings, Part II: Could Ted Kennedy and Joseph Biden be any more dreadful? It just cannot be a coincidence that both of these men have had no meaningful adult employment other than being United States Senators -- both of them took office at the constitutionally imposed minimum age of 30. Memo to both: An Judge Alito bobble-head doll knows more about the law than you do. Please just stop talking.
  • The Baseball Hall of Fame: Bruce Sutter? Puh-leeze. Sports Illustrated baseball writer Tom Verducci has it exactly right. Sutter wasn't even the best relief pitcher on the ballot. I hope to more to say about this, and the screwed-up HOF voting process, in the next few days (preview: 1) Sutter was rejected 12 times before blossoming into a Hall of Famer; and 2) Steve Garvey received more votes than Dale Murphy and Albert Belle combined).
  • James Frey: If you were dopey enough to buy his book, why do you care whether any of it is true? He says he used drugs and alcohol, then he says he stopped. Wow, never heard that story before.
  • Shooting Rockets Into Houses Where You Think Terrorists Are: I'm appalled at the lack of outrage -- or even reaction -- generated by this story. You think or hope, but clearly do not know for certain, that Ayman al-Zawahiri is in a house, so it is OK to blow it up regardless of who else might be there? Like children? At least 13 and perhaps as many as 18 people are dead. Even if one of the deceased is al-Zawahiri, is that OK? WWJD, indeed.
  • Wal-Mart and Health Insurance: The Maryland legislature has just overriden a veto and enacted legislation (story describing the act here) requiring each company with 10,000 employees in the state to spend at least eight percent of its payroll on health care. Another example of good intentions producing bad results. Such legislation does nothing to address the real health-care problems both employees and employers face -- primarily costs that increase each year far in excess of inflation -- and only exacerbates one of our major failings -- the linking of health care benefits to employment. While it might feel good to stick it to Wal-Mart, ultimately actions like this work to the long-term detriment of all.
  • Why Do Men and Women Figure Skaters Dress Alike: Something to ponder in the days ahead.

Monday, January 09, 2006

And, Boy, Will My Arms Be Tired

In a few hours I will be flying to the Left Coast for some business. Blogging likely to be lighter than usual until my return later in the week.

I Prayed It Would Not Come to This

The celebrity-as-child-book-author craze is officially out of control. Now, Sen. Ted Kennedy has written a children's book. I know that when I think of people I want teaching lessons to children, Ted Kennedy comes to right to mind.

I have managed to secure an advanced copy. Here's an excerpt:

See Ted. See Ted be born into a family of great wealth, the source of which is subject to some question.

See Ted get elected to the Senate

See Ted and several lady friends go to a cookout.

Whoops -- time to go to sleep, kids.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Panem et Circenses

I was channel-surfing before going to sleep last night and came upon a interview on C-Span dealing with the Alito nomination. It was with his high school Latin teacher.

Caveat emptor.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

People are Dying to Get There

Reading two or three newspapers a day is one of the great pleasures of my life (don't ask about the others), and on many a day the best part of the paper is the obituaries. I'm talking about what are called the "news obituaries," the article-length tales describing a person's life, as opposed to the short small-print stuff phoned in by the funeral homes. Obviously, you have to have done something noteworthy to earn a news obituary, but the best thing about these pieces is that the people being verbally escorted to the Great Reading Room in the Sky are a delightful mix of the once famous or infamous with the obscure but accomplished. Today's New York Times gives us a good example of what I mean. Here's a link (registration may be required, but go ahead, it's worth it).

Here's the lede of one:
  • Candy Barr, an exotic dancer whose hardscrabble life became Texas legend as she befriended Jack Ruby (who killed President John F. Kennedy's assassin), dated a mobster, shot her husband, went to prison for drug possession, and starred - unwillingly, she insisted - in a famous stag film, died on Friday in Victoria, Tex. She was 70.

Now that's a life worth writing about. There is so much in that one sentence -- sex, violence, politics, crime, movies, and the sad state of American education (they have to explain who Jack Ruby is?). Clearly, I need to kick it up a notch if I am going to be NYT obit material.

But wait, there's more:

  • Frank Wilkinson, a Los Angeles housing official who lost his job in the Red Scare of the early 1950's and later became one of the last two people jailed for refusing to tell the House Un-American Activities Committee whether he was a Communist, died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 91.

As the obit explains, Mr. Wilkinson perhaps deserves at least a footnote in baseball history. In the early 1950s, when he was director of the Los Angeles Housing Authority, he tried to build large amounts of public housing in the Mexican-American area of Chavez Ravine (then "home to 300 families and roamed by goats and other livestock"). He was accused of being a communist, but when placed under oath he refused to testify about his political beliefs. He was fired, the project was scuttled, and instead of housing for hundreds Chavez Ravine became the site of the privately-owned, very lucrative Dodger Stadium. Mr. Wilkinson did not attend the groundbreaking for the stadium project. He was otherwise detained as a guest at the Lewisburg (PA) federal prison, where he was sent after his conviction for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Finally, there is the story of Evelyn Fowler Grubb, 74, who as the wife of an Air Force pilot shot down over North Vietnam in 1966 helped form the National League of POW/MIA Families. Sadly, at the end of the war, Ms. Grubb learned that her husband had died shortly after his capture. While the North Vietnamese claimed he had died from injuries suffered when shot down, Ms. Grubb believed that her husband's death occurred as a result of his being tortured.

Rest in peace, Capt. & Ms. Grubb. I hope Dick Cheney reads the obits, too.

Monday, January 02, 2006

And So It Begins

The holiday period ends for most people today, including our friends in Washington. So get ready for a blitz of predictions, innuendo, rumor, advertising, counter-advertising, threats, wishes, dreams, and maybe even a little meaningful information regarding the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel Alito. The confirmation hearing starts next Monday, January 9, so only the next several days remain for the pro- and anti-Alito forces to unleash all the good stuff they have been saving up while the rest of us have been concentrating on holiday fun.

It looks like the first strategy to be employed by the Bush Administration is to decrease expectations. The front page of the New York Times this morning carried a story (here's a link, but registration likely required) with the headline "Alito Team Says He Lacks Polish, But Grit Is a Plus." Oh, sure, Judge Alito went to Princeton and Yale, has argued lots of cases before the Supreme Court, been a U.S. Attorney, and has been a highly regarded Third Circuit judge for 15 years. But the Bush people don't want you to go crazy about this guy. After all, he's no John Roberts.

According to the obligatory anonymous quotes in the Times, Judge Alito "is not going to be the well-manicured nominee." In addition, says the Times' source, "He will have a couple hairs out of place ... I am not sure his glasses fit his facial features. He might not wear the right color tie. He won't be tanned. He will look like he is from New Jersey, because he is."

Is this going to be a confirmation hearing or an episode of "Queer Eye for the Supreme Court Guy"?

Despite their efforts, they are never going to turn someone of Judge Alito's background and experience into some sort of New Jersey Everyman. Which, given the job he is seeking, is just fine with me. Whatever the political calculus is in using this cynical strategy out of the box, it certainly isn't flattering to Judge Alito or the confirmation process.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

2006

After a perfectly lovely holiday break filled with wine, women (well, woman would be more accurate) and song, what passes for normal programming will resume tomorrow.

A happy and healthy new year to all.